But Father I tell her
how much I like the derby. I got skating talent! I tells her I
can skate faster than most of those guys out there, twice as
fast, like I got fireworks on my feet, Father! And how I think,
in someway, God wants me to be a racer."— Jack
Lovington

Patch Darragh and Christopher Jackson
(Photo: Kevin Thomas Garcia)

Bursting onto the stage with delightful bumptiousness is Jack
Lovington (Patch Darragh), our hapless hero, eager for his
regular confessional tryst with Father Kosciukso (Todd Weeks, like all but two of the actors in one of multiple roles). We are back
in the 1950s, as Jack abjectly confesses his love for “the Derby”
(as in roller-derby), something apparently he had already
vehemently sworn off in his last confession.

In fact, for all his earnestness, and despite the fierce
prohibitions of his fiancé, Aurora (Keira Naughton in her least visible role), Jack just can’t stay away. The holy father, for his part, clearly finds Jack endearing, (as, indeed, we in the audience are too). Hence his patience in
explaining why the Derby is no pastime for a respectable young
Catholic.

Kosciusko’s disdain is so dated, his pre-Vatican II moral
high-handedness so offensive to our modern sensibility, that easy
laughs ensue. How priggishly innocent the 1950s must have been.
Such a notion, however, is difficult to sustain as the drama
slices through the stereotypes of the era. In fact, there is a
hard-edge of social observation in this play, despite its simple,
almost cartoonish sets and the juvenile, larger-than-life
atmosphere of the roller-rink world, where much of the action
takes place.

As we are transported into that world, we become suddenly
immersed in the raffish underside of the 1950s. That the misfits
who make up the Derby team are a hodgepodge of socially inept yet
loveable losers poses Jack’s moral dilemma with a special
poignancy. Especially impressive are the female performers Jeannie Serralles,
Keira Naughton and , Kate Rigg,. Their un-lady-like vitality lends itself to a number of physical gags that are all the more hilarious because they're so unexpected.

The composition of each scene is skillfully executed with
scrupulous attention to detail. Using actors to hold up childlike
painted set pieces, the bare stage is transformed again and
again. Especially arresting are the scenes that take place in
moving vehicles — including a taxi, a bus and a Coney Island
rollercoaster.

Far from limiting the comedic potential, these enclosed
environments which show actors contending with numerous bumps and
swerves, make for heightened fun. The actual Derby scenes make us
feel as though we are with the team in center rink. The actors also make use of cut-outs of other Derby competitors to compensate for a small multi-tasking cast. The running gag of live characters attempting to communicate with inanimate cut-outs doesn't loose steam but in fact gets funnier as the show unfolds.

The one lame, recurring joke is the characterization of Aurora as
a nagging, stay-at-home wife-to-be who seems to be holding poor
Jack back. That Aurora is ugly as well as shrewish is indicated through remarks from numerous characters as Naughton's face in this role is hidden by a big hat. Perhaps this flat an puzzling joke is intended to be a sweet way to show that somehow Jack is able to love her.

In any event, it’s when that love is put to the test that the
real tenor of the show is revealed. Jack and his teammate, Lindy,
are brought together for a fleeting romance and, for a few
moments, the jokes are subdued as we see the unappeasable
loneliness of the characters. But before we’re sucked too deeply
into romantic sappiness, the consequences of this encounter are
laid bare and graphic details follow.

Is the play likely to teach viewers anything new about the
American dream in the pre-Pill era? Or even about the lure of the
Rollerderby? Not really! Nevertheless, Jammer is
well-acted, with Patch Darragh’s Jack, and Jeanine Serralles’
Lindy especially mesmerizing. And cudos to Director Jackson Gay
for the fantastic pacing. Ultimately, this production provides a
thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes of theater.